Resilience
by Error Cannot Reach Author
Summary: AU Where Sam and John have a strong sense of faith and avoid demon possessions that way. Dean is ashamed to tell them he can't believe as strongly as they do, leaving him open for possessions. He has been lucky however. Until one day a demon takes control momentarily, when he is then saved by an angel named Castiel.


**Disclaimer: I do not have the good fortune to own this wonderful series.**

Now there were multiple ways that can ensure that you don't get possessed by a demon. Not all of them reliable of course, but better than nothing. And in the line of hunting, you learned quickly what those were.

Dean had seen some crazy people actually get the anti-possession symbol tattooed onto their skin. Which worked fine so long as the demon didn't catch on and burned it off of you before they attempted anything further. So as far as this went, he had to concede that it was a pretty strong line of defense.

Others had necklaces and bracelets, etc. The one issue is that they can get torn off easily and, generally speaking, are pretty easy for anyone, demon or otherwise, to see. Of course still better than nothing.

There were people who had a strong sense of faith and had a strong mental wall that prevented demons from taking control. While it meant you could be vulnerable at a moment's notice if you let it slip without realizing it, Dean had to admire these individuals. The willpower it took to maintain. To keep it short, they were they most badass people he had ever met.

Of course there were the stupid idiots who went out bare, without any sort of protection. They chanced fate every moment of every day. All the demon's they had ganked slowly but surely making their way back to be the one to wipe off the arrogant grins of those hunters. They were stuck somewhere between foolish ignorance and a death wish.

Dean was one of those people.

Not so much the death wish and overly stupid and arrogant. Though some would challenge that last statement. But his brother and father belonged to the group with a strong faith. Granted John probably landed in the more stubborn range of that section. But nonetheless he was the odd man out. They had taken it for granted that Dean had the same inclination as them, understandably seeing as it had been drilled into him from a young age and John wasn't crazy enough to tattoo his kids to keep them safe.

He couldn't say exactly why it was that he could tell he didn't have a strong enough mental barrier to keep him safe. Dean just supposed it feel in line with the fact he was depressed and sick of this life. And the very strong fact that he never could believe in someone who let all this misery go on. But he was too proud to admit to his father that he was failing at something that came so naturally to the rest of them. Even in the subtle way by wearing a necklace with the symbol would be showing weakness.

Thankfully he never had had an issue before. All the times he felt a demon slowly testing how susceptible he was to possession, he was able to gank the son of a bitch before it could get any further. And it meant that he was always on edge, even more so than John and Sam. They were secure in their minds.

His left a lot to desire.

But he felt that he lived a better life than they did. Not to say that their life was easy and he was better off. Just he could enjoy the little things unlike them. They were obsessed with their own revenge battles, and he was here along for the ride. Trying to keep the family together.

Of course his lucky streak of never being possessed had to come to an end at some point. The one saving grace in his mind being that at least they weren't there to see him. The one poor sap stuck witnessing his transformation into a monster was hovering in a corner, pulling his trenchcoat as tight around him as possible. The woman who had been possessed originally was slumped in the center of the alley, blood pooling around the unmoving body.

It had started pretty routinely. He had come across the couple in what seemed like a normal spat between couples until he saw her push the guy up the wall by the neck. Her small frame was obviously not capable of such a task without some supernatural mojo going on as well. And if not, well he was never one to condone abuse, even if it didn't seem possible for a woman to hit a man without some provoking.

When Dean had come up about five or so feet behind her, as quietly as humanly possible, she turned her head to offer a gruesome grin. "Well if it isn't one of the famous Winchesters."

"Who the hell are you?" He shot back. His hand was reaching for his gun when he felt the smooth, deceiving warm and fuzzy tendrils of her presence reaching for his mind.

She dropped the man. "How interesting. I thought you boys were supposed to be as solid as a rock in the mind department."

The demon smiled, "Well as strong as any who stupidly think they can challenge the inevitable."

Dean shot and a bullet met flesh in the chest of the woman. He started reciting the chant needed, thinking it was more or less over with, when her presence enveloped him. Her voice hauntingly in the depth of his ear whispering the sweet-nothings he never wanted to hear. Promising pain and suffering for his family.

He clutched at his head, screaming in, not so much pain as a convenient outlet for his anger at himself. "Get out of my head!"

She only responded with laughter.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the man he had thought he saved straightening up before a light seemed to engulf him. Dean wasn't sure if it was some new way of demons torturing people and he was doing it, or if the man was some other type of monster that he didn't mean to save. But nonetheless, he was making his way over to where Dean was trying not to fall to ground. A silver knife slipping out of his sleeve into his hand. He poised, ready to slash out at Dean.

"Do it." Dean mustered through clenched teeth. Even if he was a monster, at least he killed demons. And there was no way for Dean to get out of this. It was best that he be put down before he killed anyone. It was better this way.

The man stopped. "You're strong. You can fight through this."

"Ha." Dean wanted to laugh, but said only this in his mind, "You need to be strong to get through this, and I am anything but strong."

"I suppose I could help you banish her from your mind." With that he placed his hands on Dean's head. Once again Dean was blinded by light, both in his eyes and mind. But when the light faded away, he could see the inky black shadow of her descend back to which she had come from.

But this was no time to ponder this new trick. He leaped for his gun three feet away. "What the hell are you?"

"I am Castiel. I am an angel of the lord."

"Good one. Now answer honestly and maybe I won't have to shoot you right this minute."

"I am telling the truth." He took a step forward. "Dean, we know all about you and your family. We need your help."

Dean backed up. A wild look appeared in his eyes. "Why the hell do all of you guys seem to know us?"

"Shit." He exclaimed when Castiel disappeared from in front of him and reappeared right behind him. His hand clutching what used to be his gun, and now what appeared to be just air. "Give me back my gun!"

"But you would shoot me with it." Castiel cocked his head sideways. "I don't have time to deal with that inconvenience. I need you to take me to your father and brother. It is of vast importance that we get your to safety."

"What the hell do you need with my family? Like hell I am taking you to them."

"I don't have time for this. More demons are circling in on this location. I must get you to safety." Castiel sighed. "Have it your way. We won't get your family right at this moment."

Castiel then came up to Dean's face and reached out to lightly touch his face. In the next second they were in some unknown location on the outskirts of a town. A motel sign blinked a hundred feet away. And then with another touch they were there, already inside one of the rooms.

"You require sleep, do you not?" Castiel explained. "You will think clearly after you have rested."

"What makes you think I can sleep with some unidentified monster in the room?"

"I already explained I am an angel named Castiel."

"Like that makes any sense." He snorted.

Castiel turned even more serious than what seemed to be his normal state of being. "You have little faith. That is why you were possessed. You don't think God heard your prayers for strength."

"Well he didn't." Dean rolled his eyes. "Hence why I was possessed."

"He showed you how to find strength within yourself. You just haven't acknowledged it yet."

**A/N: Hello people. Love it, hate it, somewhere in between? Just a little idea I had about Dean getting possessed and meeting Cas this way. Etc. Anyway please review and tell me what you thought. Along with whether or not it should be destiel or just a bromance.**


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